Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-02-16

JoCIcu my uliSSlOus OH, uOW many CuPS VI
life have pressed to his lips that he dash
ID down, and how often has he stood with
his hard heel on the bleeding heart of the
Son of God! 1t pains me very much that
have to testify against this Christian man
and yet must in behalf Of Him who will
m no wise clear the guilty, say that thi'
Christian man has done wrong. He has
been worldly. He has been neglectful. He
vas done thousand things he ought not to
have done and left undone a thousand thing
he ought to have DONE" That will do,
Conscience. You can >it down.
The third witness l call in the case, is an
angel of God Bright and shining one,
what deest thou here? What hast thou to
say against this man on trial s'Oh p says
the angel, 81 have been messenger to him.
have guarded him. / have watched him.
With this wing have defended him, ana
oftentimes when he knew it not led him
into the green pastures and beside the still
waters. l snatched from him the poisoned
chalices. When bad spirits came upon him
to destroy him I fought them back with in
finite ferceness; and yet l have to testify
to-day that he has rejected nay mission
He has not done as he ought to have done.
Though I came from the SKY he drove me
back. Though with this wing defended
him, and though with this voice weoed
him, have to announce his multiplied i'm
perfectiens. dare not keep back the testi-
mony, for then / should not dare to appear
again amongst the sinless ones before the
great white throne"
There is only one more witness to be
called on behalf of the prosecution, and
that is the great, the holy, the august, the
omnipotent Spirit of God. We bow down
before him. Holy Spirit knowest thou
this man? "Ob, yes," says the Holy One,
81 know him. have striven with him ten
thousand times, and though sometimes he
did seem to repent, he fell back again as
often from this first estate. Ten thousand
times ten thousand has he grieved Ne, al
though the Bible warned him, saying,
'Grieve not the Holy Ghost. Quench not
the Spirit Yes, he has driven me back.
Though am the Third Person of the Trim
ity he has trampled on my mission, and the
blood of the Atonement that brought with
which to cleanse his soul he sometimes des-
pissed. I came from the throne of God to
convert, and comfort, and sanctify, and yet
look at that man, and see what he is COM
pared with what, unresisted, would have
made him."
The evidence on the part of the p2osecu-
tion has closed. Now let the defence bring
on the rebuttal testimony. What have you,
0 Christian soul, to bring in reply to this
evidence of the world, of the conscience, of
the angel, and Of the Holy Ghost? No evi-
dence? Are all these things true? eyes;
unclean. unclean," says every Christian
soul. What! Do you not begin to tremble
at the thought of condemnation?
We have come now to the most interest
ing part of this great trial. The evidence
all in, the advocates speak. The profess
sion of an advocate is full of responsibility.
In England and the United States there
have arisen men who in this calling have
been honored by their race and thrown con-
tempt upon those who in the profession
have been guilty of great many mean
nesses. That profession will be honorable
as longsas it has attached to it such names
Kent, and Southland, and William Writ.
The court room has sometimes been the
scene of very marvellous and thrilling
things. Some of you remember the famous
Girard-wil case, where one of our advo-
Gates pleaded the cause of the Bible and
Christianity in mastery Anglo Saxon,
every paragraph thunderbolt.
Some of you have read of the famous
trial in Westminster Hall of Warren Has
tings, the despoiler of India. That great
man had conquered India by splendid tai
ents, by courage, by bribes, by gigantic dis
honesty. The whole world had rung with
applause OF condemnation. Gathered in
Westminster Hall was one of the most IA
nous audiences ever gathered. Foreign
ministers and princes sat there. Peers
marched in clad III ermine and gold. Mighty
men and women from all lands looked
down upon the scene. Amid all that pomp
and splendor, and amid an excitement such
as has seldom been seen in any court room,
Edmund Burke advanced in speech which
will last as long as the English language,
concluding with this burning charge, which
made Warren Hastings cringe and cover:
81 impeach him in the name of the Com
mons House of Parliament, whose trust he
has betrayed. I impeach him in the name
of the English nation, whose ancient honor
he has sullied. l impeach him in the name
of the people of India, whose rights he has
trampled on and whose country he has
turned into a desert. And lastly, in the
name of human nature in the name of both
sexes, in the name of every age and rank,
impaach him as the common enemy and
oppressor of ALL"
But turn from the recital OF those men,
orable occasions to grander trial, and
have to tell you that in this trial of the
Christian for the life of his soul, the advo-
Gates are mightier, wiser and more elo-
quent. The evidence all being in, Justice
rises on behalf of the prosecution to make
his plea. With the Bible open in his hand,
he reads the law, stern and inflexible, and
the penalty: "The soul that sinneth, it
shall die" Then he says: so thou, Judge
and Law-giver, this is Thine own statute,
and all the evidence in earth and heaven
agrees in stating that this man has sinned
against all these enactmerts. Now let the
sword leap from it's scabbard. Shall man
go through the very flames of Sinai un-
singed? Let the law be executed. Let
judgment be pronounced. Let him die. I
demand that he die"
o Christian, does it not look very dark
for thee? Who will plead on thy side in
so forlorn a cause? Sometimes man will
be brought into court of law, and he will
have no friends, and no money, and the
judge will look over the bar and say: '.Is
there any one who will volunteer to take
this mans case and defend him?" and some
young man rises up and says: ST will be
his COUNSEL" perhaps starting on from that
very point to great and brilliant career.
Now, in this matter of the soul, as you
have nothing to pay for counsel, do you
think that any one will volunteer? Yes.
yes; see One rising. He is young man,
only thirty three years of age. see His
countenance suffused with tears and cover
ed with blood, and all the galleries of heav-
en- are thrilled with the spectacle. Thanks
be unto God! "We have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
o Christian soul, your case begins to look
better. I think, perhaps, after all you may
not have to die The best advocate in all
the universe has taken your side: No one
as ever so qualified to defend man as
this adyocate is qualified to defend you.
He knows all the law, all its demands, all
it's penalties. He is always ready. No
new turn of the case can surprise Him, and
He will plead for you for nothing rs earn
estly as though you brought world OF
treasures to His feet. Besides that He has
undertaken the care of thousands who were
as forlorn as you, and He has never lost a
case. Courage, o Christian soul! | think
that after all there may be some chance for
you, for the great Advocate rises to make
His plea. He says: 81 admit all that has
been proved against my client. Iadmit all